What is Heimdall?

How does it work?

Heimdall connects to a mobile device over USB and interact with software running
on device known as Loke. Loke and Heimdall communicate via the custom
Samsung-developed protocol sometimes referred to as the 'Odin protocol'.
Low-level USB in Heimdall is handled by the popular open-source USB library, libusbx.

Why 'Heimdall'?

For internal use, Samsung developed their own firmware flashing tool known as
'Odin', named after the king of gods in Norse mythology. Loke, the software
component that runs on the Samsung devices and provides the functionality
necessary to flash, also seems to be named after an important character in Norse
mythology (often translated as Loki). In this vein, our software was named
'Heimdall' after the Norse god and guardian of the Bifrost Bridge.

What platforms does Heimdall run on?

Officially - Linux, OS X and Windows (XP, Vista, 7 etc.)

Why use Heimdall when we can use Samsung's tool, Odin?

Aside from being slow and generally unreliable, Odin only runs on Windows
systems. Furthermore, Odin is 'leaked software' that is not officially supported
by Samsung, freely available, or well understood by the community at large.

Is Heimdall safe?

No matter which method you chose, flashing firmware onto your device has
potential for disaster. We test Heimdall with a variety of devices by flashing
each one with several different versions of appropriate firmware. As such we
believe that Heimdall is extremely reliable for the devices that we have tested.
However keep in mind, just like any firmware flashing software, Heimdall has the
potential to brick your device if not used correctly.

How do devices get bricked when flashing?

Besides the inherent risks like power outs, accidental removal of the USB cable
and the fact that some of Samsung's devices appear to be running somewhat
unreliable USB control software; the most common cause is actually a bad USB hub
(i.e. faulty USB ports) or a low-quality/damaged USB cable. A failed flash will
typically result in a state that is known as a 'soft brick' and is totally
recoverable, often by simply trying again. 'Hard bricks' on the other hand, are
often the result of a user error i.e. flashing incompatible bootloaders onto a
device. 'Hard bricks' are technically still recoverable by more advanced means,
but your best bet is to visit a certified Samsung repair centre.

Which devices has Heimdall been tested with?

Users have reported success with a wide variety of Samsung's mobile phones and
tablets from all around the world. However, we officially test on the following
devices:

GT-I9000

GT-I9100[T]

GT-I9300

GT-I9505

SGH-I727

SGH-I777

SGH-I927

SGH-I797

Enough talk, where can we get it?

The latest release can be downloaded below. Instructions to install and run
Heimdall on Windows are included in README.txt, or simply README for OS X and
Linux releases.

Please read it!

We distribute Windows, OS X and Linux binaries for 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.
Users of other platforms will need to compile from source, or get a hold of
third-party binary distribution. Keep in mind we can’t verify the integrity of
third-party distributions, so only download from trusted sources.

I love you, man. Will you have my baby?

No, but we will very gladly accept donations. If you appreciate our work and
would like to support future development please make a donation here. If you
don’t use PayPal or would prefer to support us in a different way, then please take a
look at some of our commercial offerings.

Downloads

Linux

Heimdall command line package includes:

Heimdall command line tool.

udev rules (for non-root USB access).

Heimdall Frontend package includes:

Heimdall Frontend - graphical UI only.

Note: In order to use Heimdall Frontend you must also install the command line package.